Professor Lupin and Harry's Dementor
by PhoenixWild25236
Summary: We all know what Harry was thinking throughout the series, but imagine what Remus Lupin must have felt when Harry first described the exact details of the dementor's effects on him. This is a one shot of that first Patronus training session from Lupin's POV.


I just happened to be reading Prisoner of Azkaban for fun and wanted to recreate this scene from Professor Lupin's view as a fan fiction. It's the first dementor training Lupin holds with Harry found in Chapter 12.

**Just as a note, any of the text that is in bold print is not my work, as well as the characters in this fan fiction**. **It comes straight from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and is the copyright of JK Rowling, her publishers, and everyone else who has a stake in it. **I wanted it to be as true to the novel as possible but also want to give credit where credit is due.

Enjoy!

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**"Right then - ready to try it on a dementor?"**

**"Yes," Harry said.** Lupin watched Harry grip his wand tighter, noting that his face held a mixed expression of bravado and concern as he stared at the packing case. He couldn't help but pause for a moment, remembering how James use to make that exact same expression when he was the same age as Harry. Then again, James only made that face when he started at Hogwarts and began breaking the rules. The older he got, the less concerned he was about the consequences of his actions until a certain red-head came into his life.

**Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled. **He watched Harry closely, keeping a mental note of the strength of the boggart's dementor. He knew both Lily and James had been exceptionally talented at magic, and even though it didn't surprise him that Harry had inherited those same talents, he was slightly taken aback at how hard the boggart had to work to create such an effective dementor.

Harry yelled the spell as best he could, but the boggart easily overcame his attempts at a patronus. Lupin stood on edge, wondering what horrors Harry could hear in his mind as the dementor boggart drew closer to him. As much as he wanted to step in, he knew that doing so would only inhibit Harry's practice. Suddenly Harry fell to the floor in random spasms, and he knew he had to act. He quickly leaped into the view of the boggart and shot a quick little spell at its feet. The boggart, alarmed with this new person, quickly retreated into the packing case in order to regroup. Remus spun around to go to Harry, who was flat on his back. A slight panic gripped him as he called out Harry's name, falling to his side. Harry stirred at the sound of Lupin's voice and he thought he heard the boy give a faint apology. Lupin shook his head, though Harry opened his eyes after the fact.

**"Are you alright?" said Lupin.**

**"Yes..." Harry responded.** Lupin watched with concern as Harry picked himself off the floor and sat in the closest desk. He fumbled in his pockets to find one of the Chocolate Frogs he had brought, silently cursing the size of his pockets. His fingers finally came across the frog and he pulled it out quickly.

**"Here - " Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."**

**"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time - and him - Voldemort."**

Lupin could feel the color drain from his face. It was hard to believe that Harry could hear Lily's soft voice, though he realized that in her last moments, there would be a hysteria that Lupin had never heard from his gentle friend. It had been so long since he had really thought about the physical details of Lily Evans that the pain was sharper than it had been in years. Lupin had never run into Voldemort personally, but like all wizards his age, his image was burned in his memory, and it was hard to imagine the scene Harry had just witnessed. How could any person bear to relive those memories ever again? He didn't want to think about it and he was only experiencing the scene secondhand.

**"Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand -"**

**"I do!" said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"**

Lupin couldn't help but think that James would have said the same thing in his place.

**"All right then…" said Lupin. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on… That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough."**

Harry looked at the ground thoughtfully and Lupin patiently waited for him to select his memory. He wondered what Harry could be selecting as a happy memory. He had already been through so much more than most wizards go through in a lifetime, and then some. Professor Dumbledore had told Lupin about Harry's upbringing with Lily's sister, which shocked him to the core. James and Lily were such loving and kind people who always thought of others, and he couldn't believe that Harry was robbed of their gentle hand and had it replaced with someone as cold and calloused as Lily's sister. He couldn't even remember if he saw the woman at the wedding, though it wouldn't surprise him if she had skipped it altogether. Harry looked up, a new wave of determination on his young face. Lupin walked over to the packing case.

**"Ready?" said Lupin, gripping the box of the lid.**

**"Ready," said Harry.**

**"Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid.**

Once again the dementor boggart glided out of the box, and with a tense Lupin watching his every move, Harry yelled the spell once more. The same results as occurred as the previous time, though. Lupin was prepared and jumped near the boggart as Harry fell to the floor, but this time the boggart was ready for him. Lupin had to pull out a few extra spells to navigate the boggart back to the packing case. Once he had the case securely closed, he quickly turned to Harry, who was once again on his back, but this time he wasn't moving. With baited breath, he fell to his knees and began tapping Harry's face with a sense of urgency.

**"Harry! Harry… wake up…"**

Harry slowly opened his eyes, looking dazed. It took Harry a moment before he spoke.

**"I heard my dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him - he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it…"**

At this Harry's eyes filled with tears, and he quickly looked down at his trainers to avoid Lupin's gaze. Lupin stared at Harry, unable to process what Harry had just told him. Knowing James' love for Lily, he wasn't surprised that he made his sacrifice to save his family, but all the same, he felt a sorrow that matched the night he found out what had happened to his best friend.

**"You heard James?" said Lupin in a strange voice.**

**"Yeah…" Face dry, Harry looked up. "Why - you didn't know my dad, did you?"**

**"I - I did, as a matter of fact." said Lupin.** He was on the verge of telling Harry how close they were, how much James had meant to him, but he couldn't bring himself to admit that he wasn't there in James' time of need. James had shown time after time that he would always be there for him, but he wasn't there for him in his final moments… Instead, he glossed over the details, hoping it would be enough and distract Harry with the task at hand to prevent more questions.

**"We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry - perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced… I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this…"**

**"No!" said Harry. He got up again. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is… Hang on…"**

Lupin watched Harry climb to his feet, his nose scrunched together as he concentrated hard to find a new memory. He was about to put his foot down and call it a night, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. Harry reminded Lupin so much of James, from looks, temperament, and determination, that he sometimes forgot that he also was the son of Lily Evans. At this exact moment, though, the fire in Harry's eyes was not reminiscent of James, but of Lily. Lily was often remembered as being kind and gentle, but Lupin remembered that she was also a strong woman, never afraid to stand up for what was right and fierce in the defense of the ones she loved. As he looked at Harry, he began to realize that Harry had inherited more from Lily than everyone gave him credit. Breathing deep, he stepped toward the packing case.

**"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgement. "Concentrating hard? All right - go!"**

**He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the dementor rose out of it; the room fell dark and cold.**

**"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"**

He watched Harry in amazement as he kept the dementor at bay, producing a distinct silvery cloud around him. Harry truly was the son of Lily and James Potter. Within a few moments, though, his knees began to buckle, and Lupin jumped forward quickly.

**"Riddikulus!" roared Lupin.** At the sound of the spell both Harry's Patronus and the dementor boggart disappeared. Lupin looked over his shoulder to see Harry sink into his chair, exhaustion written over his face. He turned back to the task at hand, pushing the now moon shaped boggart back into the packing case. He was not to thrilled with the idea that Harry could get a close look at what he feared most and worked quickly to hide the boggart from Harry's view. Once complete, he turned around with a proud smile on his face.

**"Excellent!" Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!"**

**"Can we have another go? Just one more go?"**

**"Not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here -"**

**He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate.**

**"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?"**

**"Okay," said Harry.** With that, Lupin turned around, extinguishing the lamps that had sprung to life once things were returned to normal. He couldn't help but feeling proud of Harry and the work he had accomplished. He knew James would be pleased if he could see the progress his son had made. Harry might not be his own flesh in blood, but in his heart, he knew he would love him as best he could, just as he loved James as much as he possibly could.

**"Professor Lupin?" Harry said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."**

Lupin's whole body tensed in apprehension. He **turned very quickly.**

**"What gives you that idea?" he said sharply.**

**"Nothing - I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too…"**

**Lupin's face relaxed.** It seems as though Harry only knew vague details about the life of his dad, which he felt was a stroke of good fortune for him. The last thing he wanted was for James Potter's only son to be disappointed in him. He had to make up for the fact that he wasn't there for James at the end, and would be there for James Potter's son since James could not be there himself.

**"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You'd better be off, Harry, it's getting late."**

Harry took his advice and walked out of the classroom, leaving Lupin by himself in the room, a lone lamp providing a dim, haunting glow. He slowly moved toward one of the desks and suck low into the seat., burying his hands into his face.

Just as Harry had spent the night remembering the last moments of his father, he couldn't repress his last memory with James. He sat there sobbing , his body racked with grief, as he remembered the very last words his very first friend had spoken to him.


End file.
